After seven weeks of the 2011 NFL season, the teams in the NFC West had a combined record of 8-16. Five of those wins belonged to the San Francisco 49ers, while the Arizona Cardinals and St Louis Rams combined for just one victory. The 49ers were a surprise bright light in a division that had developed a reputation on being full of broken bulbs.

Since realignment in 2002, when the NFC West in its current formation was established, the division as a whole has only once had more wins than losses after seven weeks of a season. That came way back in 2003 when the four teams were 13-12. Outside of the Seattle Seahawks, who had a .500 record (31-31) during those years, every other team in the division lost 60 percent or more of their games during the first seven weeks of the combined seasons.

Getting out to a hot start is something that the division has simply never seen. Of course there have been the odd flashes from individual teams. The 49ers shocked everyone last year, starting 5-1. Kurt Warner's reign in Arizona gave them four wins each at the start of the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander led the Seahawks to a 5-2 start in 2005. Yet, when one team took a big step forward, the rest were more often than not digging new potholes to fall into, and drag the division's reputation down with them.

For that reason, it is shocking that the 2012 NFC West is tied with the NFC North for the most wins in football. Both divisions have notched 16 wins after seven weeks, although the NFC North has two less losses.

So how has this happened? What has each franchise done to reverse its fortunes?

Arizona Cardinals

The high point of the Cardinals' stay in the NFC West was undoubtedly the franchise's trip to the 2008 Super Bowl. Despite only finishing the regular season with a 9-7 record, the Cardinals rode Kurt Warner and their high-powered offense all the way to the big game in Tampa - only losing out to a last minute Santonio Holmes touchdown reception that would be one for the ages. Even though that season was the high point of a short-lived era with Warner at quarterback, the Cardinals' rebuild from ruin actually began after the following season. Warner retired after one final playoff run and his heir apparent, Matt Leinart, not only failed to establish himself as the team's starter, but was released before the 2010 season even began. That left the franchise without an identity.

The Cardinals had reached the Super Bowl because their offense was one of the most explosive in the league. Kurt Warner threw for over 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns, while Steve Breaston, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin all had over 1,000 yards receiving in 2008. Once Warner left, his replacement, Derek Anderson, proved incapable of running an offense at the same level. That put too much pressure on a defense that was built to create turnovers, not shut down the opposition every week. At this point, someone needed to step up and become a leader for the whole franchise. Fourth year head coach Ken Whisenhunt did just that.

Before becoming the Arizona Cardinals head coach in 2007, Whisenhunt had been a coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2001 to 2006. From 2004 onwards, Whisenhunt was the team's offensive coordinator when he spent his time developing then young quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, while also observing how the team as a whole kept him out of difficult situations. Whisenhunt was part of the 2005 Steelers team that won the Super Bowl in spite of Roethlisberger's historically bad 22.6 passer rating.

What does that have to do with the current Arizona Cardinals' team? Well, the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers are the exact model of what the current Cardinals' roster is being moulded to be.

After losing Warner, Whisenhunt quickly sent Anquan Boldin to the Baltimore Ravens, while Steve Breaston would soon leave as a free agent. The talented possession receivers were not as valuable to the team without a star quarterback. The Cardinals became a running team with Chris "Beanie" Wells and Tim Hightower initially carrying the load, before Ryan Williams was drafted to eventually take over. Whisenhunt worked with Derek Anderson in the hopes that his coaching could get the best out of him, but realistically the offense wasn't a priority at this point. Yes, it was a short term and long term problem, but it was no longer the priority. Instead the Cardinals focused on developing a defense that would be capable of being among the league's best. A defense that could carry the franchise the way the Steelers' defenses had during Whisenhunt's time as that franchise's offensive coordinator.

Defensive end Dan Williams, inside linebacker Daryl Washington and outside linebacker O'Brien Schofield arrived in the 2010 draft, while defensive end Calais Campbell was inserted into the starting lineup after developing for a season in a bit-part role. Williams and Schofield were developmental prospects who didn't become starters until this season, but Daryl Washington was instantly involved. Washington was a great athletic specimen, but needed time to refine his game and the Cardinals' front seven was still relying on too many old/average players to be competitive during his first season.

In Washington and Schofield, Whisenhunt had brought in the types of athletic linebackers who had thrived for the Steelers while he was there. In order to bring in a system that would suit the players that he was drafting, Whisenhunt hired Ray Horton, another former Steelers coach, after the 2010 season to be his defensive coordinator. Horton was trusted with the development of the youngsters while also being asked to revitalize veterans like Darnell Dockett and Adrian Wilson with the aggressive approach he had learned from working with Steelers' defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

Horton had an even greater vision for the Cardinals defense than Whisenhunt however. Horton had been a part of the 2008 Steelers defense. The defense that not only contained the Cardinals offense, but also ranked first in points, yards, passing yards and second in rushing yards in the regular season. That year the Steelers only gave up 13.9 points per game and Horton understood exactly how they managed it.

The Steelers relied on a dominant defensive line, an area where the Cardinals had plenty of talent. They had both explosive and intelligent inside linebackers, Daryl Washington and Parys Lenon. They had a game-changing strong safety in Troy Polamalu. The Cardinals had perennial all-pro Adrian Wilson. The only two pillars of the Steelers' defense that Horton was missing in Arizona was a star pass rusher and star cornerback. The Cardinals drafted one of each that season. Patrick Peterson arrived in the first round. Peterson had even more potential than Ike Taylor, the cornerback who trailed the opposition's number one receivers in Pittsburgh with great success in 2008. Much like James Harrison, who the Pittsburgh Steelers cut multiple times before he eventually became a defensive MVP, the Cardinals uncovered a diamond in the rough when they drafted Sam Acho, an outside linebacker out of Texas in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. Acho had seven sacks as a part time starter in his rookie season, before both he and the aforementioned Schofield became full-time starters on the edges this season.

Often when teams lose a hall-of-fame quarterback, they spend too much time and effort trying to replace that player with another quarterback. Instead of focusing all his efforts on replacing Warner, Whisenhunt has instead lessened the blow and put the onus on himself to be the leader of the franchise. At least, that is until he finds a quarterback who is capable of helping them win games opposed to one he must work around.

The Cardinals still have some way to go before they will be considered an elite team, but they have eradicated the excuse for other teams who lack talent at the quarterback position.

San Francisco 49ers

When Jim Harbaugh was named the San Francisco 49ers' new head coach in January 2011, the franchise had not been to the playoffs in eight years. Harbaugh was the fifth coach they had hired since the realignment of the divisions in 2002. Not only was Harbaugh taking over a team that was considered one of the least talented in the NFL, he was also coming to a team that had been severely mismanaged by the previous head coach, Mike Singletary.

Singletary's handling of the 49ers roster could be defined by moments that are atypical of everything that Jim Harbaugh's coaching style represents. It's hard to believe right now, but Alex Smith was the very first pick of the 2005 NFL draft. Smith was taken a full 23 places ahead of Aaron Rodgers after an impressive college career at Utah. However, once Smith made it to the NFL, he saw new offensive coordinator after new offensive coordinator, while being rotated in and out of the lineup.

When Singletary was the coach in San Francisco, he did little to help Smith on or off the field. Singletary was a hall-of-fame linebacker during his playing career and his intensity carried over into his coaching style which didn't help Alex Smith's then fragile confidence.

During the 2008 regular season, Smith was the starting quarterback of a team that lost its first four games before facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles at home. While trailing in the fourth quarter, after three quarters of mostly dysfunctional offense, the 49ers fans showed their unrest with some of the loudest booing any stadium has ever heard, as well as an audible chant of "WE WANT CARR." Carr being David Carr, another former first overall pick who was the team's backup quarterback at the time.

.While Smith can't solely blame Singletary's coaching for his failures, there was a major disconnect between the then head coach and his starting quarterback. That is not something that Jim Harbaugh has had a problem. Harbaugh is a former NFL quarterback himself so he understands the nuances of the position as well as what a relationship between a coach and quarterback should be. Singletary simply never understood those aspects of being a head coach, therefore Smith's performances completely turned around when Harbaugh arrived. There are bad offensive head coaches, Singletary, frustrating offensive head coaches, Andy Reid, and then there are offensive gurus. Jim Harbaugh has proven to be an offensive expert: Not only did he bring Alex Smith back to respectability as a quarterback, he propelled the whole offense into a level of production that was capable of helping his team to the playoffs.

It shouldn't have surprised anyone really, Harbaugh did something similar at Stanford. Even though he had Andrew Luck, easily the best college quarterback in over a decade, coaching at Stanford meant that his team overall didn't have players comparable to that of say Alabama or LSU. He turned a Stanford team that went 1-11 in 2006 into a team that won a school-record 12 games in his final season.

Despite Harbaugh's reputation, and close link to the legendary offensive coach Bill Walsh, a staple of Harbaugh's coaching career has always been excellent defensive play. His college teams were always well coached on both sides of the ball, but nobody expected him to instantly have that same impact on the professional level.

In the season before Harbaugh took over, the defense was decidedly average as it ranked 16th in points allowed per game. Harbaugh brought in some key new pieces in rookie linebacker Aldon Smith, cornerback Carlos Rogers and safety Donte Whitner. He also inserted Tarrell Brown and NaVorro Bowman into the starting lineup. Each of those additions proved vital, but the improved play of players already there and the discipline to play defense as a unit is what really made the difference for the 49ers. Previously unheralded players such as Justin Smith, Dashon Goldson, Ahmad Brooks and Ray McDonald elevated their production to gain national acclaim.

This brings us to Mike Singletary's second moment that defines the difference between his era and Harbaugh's.

After a big loss to the Seattle Seahawks in 2008, Singletary called out Vernon Davis and repeatedly berated him in the media. This is the polar opposite of the way Harbaugh treats his players. The improved defense in San Francisco was a result of talented individuals buying into a team first ethos. Rarely ever will Harbaugh's defense be out of position against the run or blow coverages against the pass. A team-first ethos cannot exist if the head coach is calling out individuals and blaming them for losses.

.Harbaugh has proven in San Francisco that a quality coach can be the difference between a bottom feeder and an elite team in the NFL.

Seattle Seahawks

From 2001 to 2007, the Seattle Seahawks were consistently one of the best teams in the NFL. During that time, the franchise averaged just under 10 (9.57 to be precise) victories each season. That success was built on then head coach Mike Holmgren's blueprint. Holmgren had a rigid football philosophy and relied on the same players, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander, and system to lead the team during their best years. It was no coincidence Holmgren decided that 2008 would be his final season with the team. What Holmgren had built in Seattle was coming to an end. Matt Hasselbeck only started seven games that year and superstar running-back Alexander had been released. The Seahawks limped to a 4-12 season with a roster full of average veterans. Holmgren hadn't prepared the team for the future.

That meant that when his assistant, Jim Mora, succeeded him as head coach, he inherited a roster that wasn't ready to compete in the short term or have any pillars to build on for the long-term. Mora didn't help the situation when he spent a lot of money on older free agents such as TJ Houshmandzadeh and Colin Cole. To make matters worse, the Seahawks drafted Aaron Curry fourth overall that season, who proved to be a bust early in his career. After just five wins in 2009, Mora was fired.

Once Mora failed to continue the success of Holmgren, the Seahawks decided to completely change their approach. That led the team to bring in Pete Carroll from USC. Carroll had failed as a head coach of the New England Patriots ten years earlier, but had followed that up with an excellent career in college football. Carroll thus earned the reputation of a coach who could excel in college, but would struggle on the professional level. The Seahawks, however, decided to give Carroll a second chance, and second chances became the staple of the Seahawks' rebuilding process.

Unlike Holmgren, who brought in players to fit a specific scheme, Carroll was willing to alter his scheme to fit more talent onto his roster. Much of the talent he brought in, came in the form of players who had been overlooked by other teams or even let go. In his first season, Carroll released and traded many of his veteran players who were failing to impress. He turned a group of under-performing, overpaid players into a variety of draft picks while also getting defensive end Chris Clemons and kick returner Leon Washington for essentially nothing.

While Clemons and Washington weren't as old as the players Carroll had let go, the coach understood that his team still needed to get a lot younger in order to successfully rebuild. That year's draft showcased Carroll's first successful venture into adding college talent to his roster. Current starting left tackle Russell Okung was taken in the first round, along with Earl Thomas who is now the best young free safety in the NFL. Golden Tate, an emerging possession receiver now, was a second round pick then. However, what really made Carroll's first draft class a success was the addition of Kam Chancellor in the fifth round. Chancellor had bounced around from quarterback, to cornerback, to free safety at Virginia Tech before the Seahawks drafted him to be a strong safety. Today, Chancellor is arguably the best strong safety in the NFL and he forms the best safety pairing in the NFL with then first round pick Earl Thomas.

Despite working with many of the pieces left over from the Mora/Holmgren era, Carroll improved the Seahawks record to 7-9 in his first season. That allowed them to become the only team in NFL history to reach the playoffs with a losing record. In the wildcard round of the playoffs, Carroll saw a player he acquired for two late round draft picks during the season, Marshawn Lynch, lead his team to a victory against the New Orleans Saints. Lynch had fallen out of favour with the Bills after off the field issues in previous seasons, but Carroll saw his talent and youth, 24 at the time, which made him comfortable enough to put him in a better situation in Seattle.

Lynch had repaid Carroll with his performances in the playoffs, but more importantly he had given his offense a focal point for the future. Carroll hired Darrell Bevell to run his offense after that season. Bevell would install an offense that would get the best out of Lynch, while he also added two of his former players in receiver Sidney Rice and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. Both were good fits in the system, even though Jackson only lasted one season in Seattle. Along with Jackson and Rice, the Seahawks uncovered Doug Baldwin, an undrafted receiver who outperformed the majority of other rookie receivers in his first year, and got good production out of first round pick James Carpenter at guard.

The 2011 off-season set the table for the Seahawks' success on defense in 2012, but it wasn't the offensive alterations that were responsible. While the offense was improving, the defense was being revamped with unknown additions who would turn into star players. Fourth round pick KJ Wright, a player who missed starts in his senior year of college because of formation changes, was a relatively well known addition when compared to cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman. Wright, Browner and Sherman are all key components of the Seahawks' top five defense today, but it is the two cornerbacks who are elite difference makers.

With Darrelle Revis not playing, Sherman is arguably the best cornerback in the league. He has the size to matchup to any receiver and the agility to fit in any scheme. Both he and Browner are amongst the most physical defensive backs in the NFL who don't give up anything in the running game either. That is a far cry from the days when he was playing wide receiver in college. Sherman initially played receiver for Stanford before a serious knee injury in 2008. When he returned, he became a cornerback, but not a heavily celebrated one. One hundred and fifty-three players were taken ahead of Sherman in the 2011 NFL draft, including 32 defensive backs.

Browner's journey to Seattle was even rougher. Browner played college football for Oregon State, where he spent two seasons trailing the oppositions' best receiver. He then went undrafted in 2005, before being invited to the Denver Broncos' training camp. Browner impressed in camp, but a fractured forearm cost him his chance to make the team and he eventually winded up playing in the Canadian Football League. After four seasons with the Calgary Stampeders, during which time he won multiple accolades for his individual play, Carroll offered Browner a chance to come to Seahawks' training camp. Browner not only won a roster spot, but also earned a starting spot and has started every single game since then.

Carroll's 2011 team finished the season 7-9 once again, but were now competing with a younger roster that was playing at a higher level. The head coach had put in place the young talent base that Jim Mora was left without when he took over for Mike Holmgren. Entering this season, the Seahawks just needed a few impact players at certain positions. In typical Carroll fashion, he took players at times that other teams disapproved off. Talented pass rusher Bruce Irvin was considered a reach in the first round, but early signs have been positive. Second round pick Bobby Wagner was actually a popular choice who filled a need at middle linebacker instantly, but the selection of Russell Wilson in the third round really made people question Carroll's sanity.

Before taking Wilson, the Seahawks had signed Matt Flynn to a three year $19.5 million contract in free agency. Flynn was presumed to be the starter, but instead Carroll took Wilson to a three-way quarterback competition in training camp. Wilson was a very talented player in college, but a flirtation with professional baseball and more importantly his lack of height, caused him to fall to the third round. Even once he entered the league, many were skeptical of his ability to read defenses behind bigger offensive linemen. Even though he was a rookie quarterback, facing more challenges than most rookies, Carroll stuck to his word and picked the most productive player in training camp to be his starter. Wilson won the job and immediately fit in the offense.

Wilson was the most talked about alteration to the team entering this season, but Carroll's investment in greater depth has also been significant. Despite drafting Bruce Irvin, the Seahawks re-signed Red Bryant, a player who didn't receive much respect as a free agent because his talents are primarily against the run. They also added Jason Jones, a talented defensive end who had been forced to play defensive tackle in Tennessee which made him a bargain as a free agent. On offense, Robert Turbin gave the team a quality change of pace backup to Lynch while Carroll gave Antonio Bryant, Terrell Owens and Braylon Edwards training camp opportunities when no other franchise would. Owens and Bryant didn't work out, but Edwards has been a valuable part of the offense despite not having huge production statistically.

Since taking over the Seattle Seahawks head coaching position, Carroll has made every possible effort to improve his roster in every single way. When your coach is even trying to put Lebron James in a football jersey, you know he's at least got great ambition. That ambition could carry the Seahawks a very long way.

St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams have won a total three games during the first seven weeks of each of the last three seasons. This season the Rams have already matched that total with victories over the Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. More significant than their victories however, is the team's competitiveness in tough games against quality competition. Outside of a comprehensive loss in Chicago, the Rams have been competitive with teams who will likely challenge for the playoffs in their losses. That may seem like a back-handed compliment, but it's not. That is a sign of progress.

Excluding Sam Bradford's first season in St. Louis, when the Rams managed seven wins, the franchise had won just eight games in four seasons. That kind of futility is not the result of just one aspect of the franchise, but a lack of quality across the board. Whether it was the changing coaching staff or the changing roster, whatever the Rams tried to do they couldn't lift themselves from the bottom of the division and the league.

The one time they did manage to show some life was that aforementioned season when Sam Bradford arrived. Bradford's performances as a rookie were good enough to give the Rams a chance in the weakest division in football, but he was brought back to earth by the reality of the situation the following year. The Rams put too much on Bradford's shoulders from both a leadership point of view and by just expecting him to produce on the field. This year's roster underwent serious surgery to alleviate the pressure on Bradford.

He still plays behind an offensive line that is worse than leaky, and lacks game-changing receivers, but with more veteran presences in the team and on the sidelines, Bradford has looked more composed. When Steve Spagnuolo was appointed head coach of the team in 2009, it was his first ever head coaching position. By replacing Spagnuolo with Jeff Fisher, the Rams appointed a head coach who had 16 years of experience in the position. That gave the Rams greater structure, routine and simply better decision making.

Fisher was also able to sign Cortland Finnegan, a former player for him, who has been a reputable leader with an attitude that would permeate through his teammates. Finnegan added a toughness to the Rams' defense that was non-existent in previous seasons as both he and Quintin Mikell have led from the front this season. With Mikell, Steven Jackson, Fisher, Finnegan and Chris Long, the Rams are no longer relying too much on younger leaders James Laurinaitis and Bradford.

Outside of leadership, the Rams' next biggest problem in recent years has been their lack of talent. Whenever injuries hit St. Louis, the Rams would capitulate because of a lack of depth. This season is different. The Rams still need better depth in some areas and even starters in others, but overall general manager Les Snead has significantly improved the quality of players playing for the team, particularly by a series of trades he made during the NFL draft. Snead understood that the Rams didn't need just one big playmaker, they needed a raft of quality starters to improve the team around the quality players already in place. Snead turned two top ten draft picks into defensive tackle Michael Brockers, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, running-back Isaiah Pead and two future first round picks. Along with Brockers, Jenkins and Pead, Snead also drafted Brian Quick, Chris Givens, Trumaine Johnson, Greg Zuerlein and Daryl Richardson who all are either already contributing or will be expected to contribute later in their careers.

Snead also made some astute free agent signings in the forms of Scott Wells (who is now on IR), Matthew Mulligan, Kendall Langford, William Hayes and Jo-Lunn Dunbar. Those are not superstar players, but they are obvious improvements over the departed and players who are definitely good enough to play the roles they are asked to play at this level.

The Rams still have a very long way to go, but it is telling that they already have two division wins this year in a division that is much improved all around.

No longer do fans of this division walk cautiously on the shattered remains of their broken franchises. Instead they stand proudly watching on as each of their teams push themselves closer to the bright lights of NFL glory.